Nazina E.D. Formation of Personal Identity: Philosophical Background and Current Research

In recent years, the problem of personal identity has increasingly attracted the attention of researchers. Personal identity is considered as one of the key foundations of human existence proper. The search for answers to the question of the mechanisms of personal identity formation is necessary to move to a qualitatively new level of understanding of ways to strengthen and develop personality. 

This article presents a review of the monograph “The Developmental Psychology of Personal Identity: A Philosophical Perspective” (2024). Starting with the understanding of the philosophical foundations of personal identity research, the authors of the monograph proceed to the analysis of modern theories and experimental studies devoted to the study of the mechanisms of personal identity formation. The monograph also consistently constructs the concept of personality formation as the development of the process of self-description, which, according to the authors, is the most important unifying, integrative, synthesizing process of self-development. The monograph ends with the hypothesis that human life is conditioned by the need to build and protect personal identity, the strength and clarity of which are the basis of psychological well-being.

The monograph makes a great contribution to the implementation of the tasks of analysis, systematization and generalization of theoretical developments and research results of the process of personal identity formation. In comparison with other books on this topic, the authors do not just describe theories and research, but deeply analyze them at various levels: from epistemological foundations to specific results of experimental research. The monograph will be useful for undergraduate psychology students, researchers of personality psychology and cognitive psychology, and practical psychologists to get acquainted with modern scientific ideas about the mechanisms of personal identity formation.

Key words: personal identity, philosophical foundations, developmental psychology, identity development, personality, self-description

For citation: Nazina, E.D. (2024). Formation of Personal Identity: Philosophical Background and Current Research. New Psychological Research, No. 4, 213–219. DOI: 10.51217/npsyresearch_2024_04_04_09

Acknowledgment

The publication was prepared within the framework of the Academic Fund Program at HSE University (grant № 24–00–046 “Evidence-based approach to personality development: opportunities and limitations”).